Darkness in One's Heart

[Sorvae Sunfell]

The man in black robes covering his whole body with a hood not letting anybody see his face stood in the halls of the Sith Temples, looking out of the window and staring at the people who lived their little lives full of happiness and drama. Sometimes he would have wanted to be like them, live a life with his family and not hide from who he was. But he had to succeed in his plans.

So instead of being a family man, he stood in the long hallway with his arms crossed behind his back, legs a little bit away from each other, keeping a rather strong majestic posture. He would have to meet his new Acolyte that day.

He took a deep breath before turning away from the window while still keeping the same pose. He would wait for the arrival of this little creature -- he would turn him into a noble Sith just as he himself once was. There was no other way than to succeed. He had to please her and failure was not a way to do that.

His mouth formed a smile even though nobody would see that anyway due to the massive hood which cast a dark shadow on him. He enjoyed such secrecy. Nobody could see what he was feeling, nobody could see what he struggled with.

Not even her.

The halls of the temple were dark, only a few candles burned around. It was one of these temples which weren't publicly known -- it was his own building, a construction he had planned, funded by his family. It was perfect for whatever he would do, designed for his needs.

Candles were just a nice touch. They cast interesting shadows and made the atmosphere what one would associate with a Sith. Because he didn't like being unique -- he wanted to be the most Sith he could be. Just to please her.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth couldn't believe where he was. He had heard stories about the Sith temples, but now he was finally in one of them. Even though he had just arrived, he could feel the power of all those around him. He could even feel power from the very statues in these halls.

If he had felt any regret about leaving home, now he felt no regrets. He knew that power was something he wanted, and being surrounded by this much, he knew that he would gain the power he wanted.

As he kept walking through the halls, his guide said that his new master would be waiting just a little was up ahead. Zeth was very eager to meet whoever this person was. He knew that he would be learning a lot of things from his master, and he didn't want to disappoint. He knew that was an easy way to get yourself killed within the Sith. So, he started to think about how he would introduce himself, and how he try to please this master as best he could. For he knew that to gain power here, he would need this master, so he needed this master to like him.

As Zeth and his guide walked closer to their destination, Zeth could feel a change of some sort. He noticed there were a lot fewer people all of a sudden, and then he noticed they walked into a new temple. This one was much different. Barely lit by candles, it gave the place a sort of half darkness with the shadows flickering in the light.

Zeth knew that this was it. This was where he was going to meet his master. Then his guide told him that his master would meet him in this temple, and then the guide walked away, having done his job. So, Zeth looked in and continued to walk. The place was so creepy, and quiet. From what he could tell, this place was probably the most sith like he had seen yet, having the very building almost make you fear. But he kept going, only searching for his new master.

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

He could sense the presence of a new soul. The darkness inside him was mainly untouched, raw. Yet he could sense presence of the Force in him, and hope that he would become a great Sith one day. This knowledge made the man want to smile but this time he didn't let himself lose focus. There was a lot of work to do and he would have to keep himself energized and concentrate on the task.

He sighed.

The Acolyte was near. He could see a flicker of him not too far away. The candles all around gave the situation a frightening look and he loved it. The day, this moment, would change the lives of these two people forever. It didn't matter if it would happen in a good way or in a bad way. All that mattered was the fact that he had to please her and his student would have to please him. As simple as that.

"In a dark time, the eye begins to see, I meet my shadow in the deepening shade; I hear my echo in the echoing wood -- a lord of nature weeping to a tree," he recited a poem he had waited to use for a long time now with his low rumbling voice. The echo of it would fill the halls of the temple, the resonance of his voice would get into the ears of everybody around.

And then he smiled.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth listened to the words of what was obviously his master. A chill ran down his back upon hearing the words. This man, this master of his, sounded like darkness itself. Zeth pondered on the words that his master had spoken, and wondered what they could mean. It could mean many things, and a few ideas ran through his head. However, this wasn't the time to ponder these words. He had to meet his master now. He had to meet the Sith that could make people feel fear without even being anywhere near them.

While Zeth felt some fear, he mostly felt an eagerness and excitement to meet this new master. So, he kept walking and eventually, he came to a final room. He couldn't see much in it, because of the candles flickering and how few of them there were in this room. But he could see, and more like sense the presence of someone in the room. This “person”, if he could even call this being of darkness a person, seemed to be standing on the other side of the room.

Zeth could barely see him, with his black robes and the darkness that seemed to cloak around his master. But Zeth kept walking towards this person, and questions started to form in his mind. Who was this sith that could seem to control the very darkness around him? Who was this master of his and what could he do or had done? What was he? These kinds of questions kept forming in his mind, but as he continued walking, he started to clear his mind. Zeth knew that having these questions in his mind would work against him. He needed a clear mind to face his master. And then, he finally was standing in the presence of his master, not knowing what would happen.

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"Bow," Ydros said with no hesitation after the boy had showed up right in front of him. The Acolyte was a pile of different emotions mixed into one -- something similar to what he was feeling inside. He felt that way a lot of the time, during everything he did. The motive of that -- the fear of her. What could this boy feel inside, he didn't know yet. He would soon.

"Bow before me, Acolyte," he said just a moment after the previous command, his voice still echoing throughout the room. He had a naturally loud voice, made him seem more frightening, more like a real Sith. That's exactly what he wanted that moment -- for the boy to feel the fright inside, to make him understand his master is not a toy or a fool. If he wouldn't learn, however, the master would have different ways in mind.

He looked deep into the eyes of the Zabrak, even though the boy wouldn't see his. That was OK. There was no reason for him to see what the Sith Lord was like. It was a piece of information that served no meaning whatsoever. So it was better to keep that hidden just yet.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth heeded his master's words and bowed before him. He knew it wasn't a good idea to mess around with his master. It was important for both his training and for his personal well being that he do as his master says.

And as he was bowing, he looked up at his master's face. Or where he assumed his face was. It too, especially was clouded in darkness. But even though he couldn't see him, Zeth knew that his master was looking straight into his eyes. He could feel the intensity that his master was staring at him, it felt like his master could see straight into his soul, into his mind and he could see it all. He felt shivers run down his back, and he knew now what true fear was like. He had seen other sith while walking around the temples. They had power, but none had commanded this kind of fear. None made Zeth second guess his decision. None had made Zeth more then anything, want to become like them.

Zeth knew that from just meeting his master, he would probably never learn much about his master. Sure, maybe the things he can do and maybe some of the things he has done. But who his master was personally, he would probably never know. And he wasn't fazed by this. Secrecy had much power all on its own. Someone that you don't even know what they look like, that is kind of thing that sows fear into others. And his master knew very well how to so this fear into others.

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"Rise, my young student," the Sith Lord commanded, "and may we start with a Sith Code. Recite it to me." The Code of the Sith was one of the most sacred things a Sith could have besides the Vision. It was the Code he had had to recite to her countless times before she would start to admire him. It was the Code which he and his brethren had to suffer from days and days, countless hours of reciting it and all the pain they had to feel when they failed.

And even though he had such bad memories about it, he still held the Code dear to him as it was the one thing which made a Dark Jedi a Sith. It was the one code which they all had to abide to and understand.

He hoped his Acolyte had learned it on his own before entering these halls. If not, he would recite it to him and make the young student remember it. He would not want to make the zabrak suffer from not knowing it.

So that he could fix something that was once done to him.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth panicked a little. He had only just arrived on the planet, and then was whisked away to meet his new master. He hadn't had time to learn or really even know what the sith code was. He tried to think of a way to bluff through this, but he realized that would only lead to his master knowing he didn't know it, because he knew that his master would instantly know he was lying. So, instead he decided the truth was the best anwser.

“I am sorry master. I have had no one tell me what the code is, or what it means. I have also not been able to find out on my own what it is.”

Zeth felt this was an important moment. To see what his master would say or do. This would be important because he would get to see a glimpse of what his master was like. No matter what happened, he knew that now would be the time he would start his most difficult task yet, getting to know his master. And he wouldn't waste any moment or conversation in doing this. He felt that he had to understand his master. And if he did, then he knew he could also have the same power his master controlled.

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Truth to be told, Ydros had not expected that to happen. He hadn't been told anything about the Acolyte before he made his way into the temple, besides the fact that it was going to be a boy. Yet that he'd just made it to the planet and had had no time to learn anything had not been told to him, nor had he actually thought of learning things like that. A part of him wanted to scream and shout at the boy or make him suffer, but the majority of his mind told him not to.

"The Code of the Sith is the fundamental document of the Sith religion. It's the one teaching every Sith in existence has to abide to," Ydros said while starting to walk in a circle around the Acolyte. His steps were slow and quite equally measured, his dark boots making a low thump every time his foot landed on the floor.

He took a deep breath.

"P̨eace ͢is̴ a̸ lie, ̸t̀h̕e͡re ̨i̷s͠ on͟ly pa̕ss̢i̴o̧ņ.͏
Th͢rough̀ ͏p͢as̀s͢i̧o͡n҉,҉ ̢I͝ ̛gài̴n͏ st͝reng͘t̡h͡.̢
̀T҉hro͞ugh͘ ̷st͞r͜en͝gt͟h̕,̧ ͝I ̴ga͜i̶n͡ ̴pow͜er̴.͜
Thr̢ǫug̛ḩ powe͝r, I g̸a̧i̶n ̸vi͘ctor̨y̨.
̛T̴h҉r͠ough̵ ̴v͝ict̵ór̕y͢, ̧m̷y ͜cha͝i̛n̶s ̵a̸re҉ ͢br̷ok͟e̛ń.
Th̡e͏ ̕For̢ce ͝s͞hal͟l̨ ͞f̕re̕e͘ m͢é.̛"​

​

He looked at the Acolyte, waiting to see his reaction.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth listened to his master speak, and soaked in every word. As he listened to his master, he knew his master was speaking truth, and that these words would be the code he would live out for the rest of his days. He know knew that becoming a Sith was something he had to do. It was his calling in life. Because not only did the code speak truth, but the fact that all Sith followed this code made Zeth realize that the Sith way was his way.

As Zeth was standing, and his master continued to circle him, Zeth kept his head bowed, and spoke to his master in a calm voice “Master, these words ring truer in my ear then any other words I have ever heard. The Sith code is something that can truly lead someone to victory, to strength and to power.”

As he finished, he knew now that this dark place, with the shadows flickering and moving all around him, would become the place he learns and lives out the Sith code. His, new code. He knew now that this was his life. And while he still feared his master, he liked that his master held the Sith code in such high regard.

At that, he looked up to his master expectantly waiting for what he reveal to him next.

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Ydros nodded below the hood, but the dark shadow it left made it quite difficult to see his head moving at all. He continued walking along the track, as perfectly in the same circle as if it were drawn on the ground and he would follow the trail. Although the thing was, there were no marks on the floor. Only plain stone and granite which formed patterns on the ground which had special meanings for the Sith. Perhaps he could let the Acolyte try to decipher the markings on the floor as his final test in the future?

"Even though my priority is the Code of the Sith, I personally follow another code -- an understanding of life, a simple part of a poem," Ydros spoke. He didn't want to confuse the student, but he did feel like the boy had potential.

"D͢a͜rḱ,̷ dar̨k͘ m̸y̢ ̛lig̡ht,̶ aņd ͝dárk̶er͘ my d͝esire.̵
My so͏u͜l͟,͞ ͝l̶ík̨e͝ ͏some̕ he͡at̴-̷m̸add͝e͠ned ͡su̕mm͏e̛r ͏fl̨y̨,̵
Ke̛ep̨s͜ b҉u͏zz͞ìng̡ a͠t the ̨sil̨l.͡ ̢W̢hi͞c҉h͏ ̴I is̢ I͢?̀
A ͢fa͟l͝len m̵an, I ͡cl̴im͏b͏ ̕o͞u̕t ̸o̡f͢ my̸ ͜f͘ea͝r.̕
͜T̛h̕e m̛ind ̡en̕t̛ers ͠it̢s͜elf́,͝ ͡a̷nd҉ Force ͠t̷hè min̢d,
͡And͏ one̕ ҉is ̸O̵ne,̕ ̷fr͢ee̡ ̧in̵ ̨t̴h͞e te͝a̛r̵ing̢ ͝w̷i̢nd.̧ ͟"​

​

He took a step offtrack and stopped walking, right in front of the Acolyte. He looked at him, eyeing him and trying to see what stories he had inside. For now, he wouldn't delve deep into the mind of the boy; he would simply converse with him and get to know what he was.

"Acolyte, tell me your name."

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth thought he might have imagined it, but he thought he saw his Master nod beneath his cloak. It was probably just his imagination. And Zeth didn't know how, but it was amazing how his Master's hood managed to darken his face. No matter from what angle, his face had the same darkness wrapped around it. It was like a mask.

Zeth then considered the poem his master had recited. It seemed this code had much meaning to it as well, but also needed deeper consideration to truly understand what it meant. He would have to think more on his master's personal code later. It could provide some good incites into what his master believed.

However, his master asked him a question. And even a simple question as asking for his name seemed made Zeth stop other thoughts so he could focus on his master and his answer. As his master stopped in front of him, he could feel the his master again, looking straight at him. Again, he couldn't see his eyes, but he could feel them staring at him.

As he felt his eyes on him, Zeth straightened his back out and said “Master, my name is Zeth Var.”

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

OOC/ Oh goodness, what happened to that post?

The man nodded once again, even though there was no use of that if there was nobody to see that. And even though he had a fear the boy might have noticed him nodding, he didn't let that bother him. After all, a nod meant nothing if it didn't tell the Acolyte his identity.

"You may call me Lord Ydros, or use a Master title, whichever you wish to use, Acolyte Var," the man spoke with a cold, emotionless voice. He spoke with a slight vocal fry, just as always, and that made everything he said more frightening. Even if it wasn't supposed to come off that way. As a Sith, being scary was of great importance. As a person, it was more of a disturbing thing about him.

"So, how old are you, Var?" he asked the boy. He wouldn't use his first name -- Ydros wasn't too much of a first name person when it came to talking to his students. Maybe if they developed some sort of a friendship or anything along these lines. But that was very unlikely. He wouldn't let the boy near his true identity and personality. It would have counted as a failure in her eyes if he were to do that.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

OOC/ Yeah, I don't know what happened. But I fixed it.

So, his master was Lord Ydros. Obviously Zeth hadn't heard of him before, since he hadn't heard of any Sith before. But this was his master, and he would need to know his Master's name. Even though his master was frightening, in the end it would work towards Zeth's benefit. Having such a powerful master would surely make Zeth into a powerful Sith.

So, he was to be Acolyte Var then? He kind of liked the way it sounded. And being called acolyte, this was the first time he had been called that, and it helped him understand that now, he was part of the Sith. Zeth pondered for a minute what that really meant, and it excited him.

So, the next question. This one, also just as easy and fairly harmless. However, he was again careful in answering, still not sure whether he was about to die, or if this was just how his master meet his new students. It was hard to tell with not being able to see his Master, and the way his voice sounded made it seem like his master even spoke terror. But, Zeth regained his thoughts and replied “Lord Ydros, I have currently lived for twenty years.”

While Zeth felt that he wasn't saying much, he also felt that was how it was. An acolyte shouldn't speak out of turn, and should just say what his Master wanted to hear. Anything else might be dangerous, as trying to read Lord Ydros was like trying to read darkness itself.

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

Ydros took a deep breath after hearing the age of the Acolyte. A little bit older than he'd thought he would be, but alright. Age meant nothing. Feth, he'd lived for decades now and he was still afraid of her. So indeed, age was but a number which bore no other than the information of a person's time of being in this realm.

He took his right hand from behind his back and moved it to his face, as if he was going to scratch his chin. The one good thing about the hood was that nobody knew what was going on below it. They could only guess but they would never know for sure.

"Twenty," he stated with the same coldness to his voice while repeating the age of the Acolyte. And even though saying it gave neither of these any information, he did think it would fit into the silence. "You want to be a Sith. And that means you want to follow the Vision." His mouth formed another smile -- he was about to talk of that one thing which matter so much to the One Sith; the one thing which was the principle of life for those who followed the Dark Lord of the One Sith.

"If the Code of the Sith has always been a Sith philosophy, there's one more thing you have to live your life according to if you want to be a member of the One Sith."

He wouldn't tell the boy what the Vision was just yet. So instead, he didn't speak a word, creating a silence which the Acolyte would most likely want to break by saying anything.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Now this really made Zeth anxious. What could it be? What could be the one other thing he needed to live by to be part of the One Sith? He couldn't wait to here what it was. But as he sat there and waited, he also pondered on the other thing his Master had said. I want to follow the Vision. He had no idea what that meant, whether it was some other code, or some person or what he didn't know.

He stood there for a little while, being patient. But then he realized his master was expecting him to say something. He wasn't sure what his master wanted him to say, so he just asked the most obvious questions.

“Master. What is it? What is this other thing I have to live by to be a member of the One Sith? And what was this about me following the Vision? What is the Vision?”

Even though he didn't want to say so many things, it just all came out as Zeth was very anxious to hear the answers to all his questions. He didn't know what to expect, whether for his master to simply answer his questions or something else. He just stood there and waited for whatever his master might say or do.

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

"The Vision is the life of the One Sith. As a member of the faction, you will have to follow that particular vision of the future. It's to obey the commands of the Dark Lord. The Vision is hope for a better life -- a life of the Sith. The Vision is to seek for power and unity in the ranks of the Sith and to be free from the binding of the Force," Ydros tried to describe the Vision to his acolyte.

He started to walk around, although this time not in a circle around Zeth. This time he turned around and walked to the window once again. No light came form the streets -- the placement of the window was the optimal to keep the very room as dark as it could be, no matter if the sun would try to shine into it or if streetlights wanted to enlighten the room.

"Now, Acolyte Var, tell me, can you follow the Vision of the Dark and of the Dark Lord of the One Sith?" he asked without turning his head towards the student. "This question will decide the rest of your life, so think wisely."

Normally people aimlessly took on the journey to become a Sith of the One Sith. But this time he gave the Acolyte a chance to think, a chance to decide whether it was the vision he wanted to follow or not.

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth stood there and thought. It seemed his master really wanted him to ponder his words, and whether he truly wanted to follow the Vision. And while he thought of it, most of it he wanted. The Vision even stated he was to seek power within the Sith. This was just what he wanted and unity in the ranks of the Sith would eventually also give him more strength, and through strength, power.

But, as Zeth thought he did have one question. He didn't understand the Force all that well, but he knew that he could learn to use it and that it was what made a Sith, a Sith. However, as he previously heard from the code it stated “The force shall free me”. So, why within this Vision is it stated that I would need to be free from the binding of the Force? It seemed contradictory to him, but his Master believed and must have an answer.

So, Zeth cleared his mind once more and asked Lord Ydros “Master, I think the Vision is something that I would like to follow. It sounds great, but I do have one question. If in the Sith code it states that “The Force shall free me” then why in the Vision does it say that I will be free from the binding of the Force? There seems to be a contradiction here.”

[member="Ydros"]

 

[Sorvae Sunfell]

The Sith Lord sighed.

"Acolyte Var, the Force is a tool. The Jedi are bound by it. They use it as a guiding hand in their lives. But Sith become far greater than the Force. We push ourselves out of the limiting chamber of the Force and take control over it. We must be freed from the Force to become its masters."

He turned around.

"Does that answer your question?"

It all reminded him of the time when he himself was still merely an acolyte to her.

He himself had been just like this zabrak -- full of questions, having no greater understanding of the Force whatsoever, not daring to ask her anything. None of them had dared to do so. They all had just been pawns at her game. Just like they still were.

"Do you have a lightsaber?"

[ [member="Zeth Var"] ]

 

[Zeth Var]

Zeth could now see what his Master meant by his words. At first, Zeth thought the force would just free him. But now, he understood he had to master it, in order to be freed by it. It made so much sense, and Zeth was glad that his master did not mind answering his questions, or at least he would answer his questions.

Zeth gathered his thoughts and said “Yes Master. That does answer my question. I now understand the force better.”

When Zeth heard the second question, he was a bit excited. Lightsabers. They were the very symbol of power. They were the things that could turn you into a warrior. However, Zeth had only used a sword once before, much less a lightsaber. And actually owning one? Yeah right, on his home world Zeth hadn't even started working when he left. He was still in school at the time, trying to learn as much as possible. It was his father that was a warrior.

“No Master. I do not have a lightsaber.”